Author: aal-e-qutub

■ The Relationship of the Barzakh and the Soul

Among the most profound metaphysical doctrines articulated by Shaykh Ibn Arabī,
may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret,
is the reality of the Barzakh.

The intermediate realm that stands between spirit and matter, the unseen and the visible, eternity and temporal existence.

Yet for Shaykh Ibn Arabī, the Barzakh is not merely a “place” entered after death. It is a universal principle woven into the very structure of existence itself.

The Arabic word barzakh means an isthmus, barrier, or partition. However, Shaykh Ibn Arabī defines it in a uniquely paradoxical way: it separates two realities while simultaneously joining them.

Thus the Barzakh possesses qualities of both worlds without becoming identical to either.

▪︎ He writes:

“The world of imagination is an isthmus (barzakh) between the world of spirits and the world of bodies, taking from both sides and giving to both sides.”

▪︎ Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, II: 313

This intermediate reality is what Shaykh Ibn Arabī calls ʿĀlam al-Khayāl or ʿĀlam al-Mithāl  the Imaginal World.

It is neither purely physical nor purely abstract. Rather, it is the realm in which meanings become clothed in forms and forms become spiritualized.

▪︎ He says:

“Meanings take on forms in the imaginal presence, and forms become spiritualized there.”

▪︎ Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, II: 377

For Shaykh Ibn Arabī, the human soul is intimately connected to this realm because
the soul itself is barzakhic in nature.

The human being stands between clay and spirit, between the world of density and the world of light. Thus man becomes a mirror between creation and the Divine.

▪︎ He writes:

“Man is the barzakh between the Real and creation. Through him the realities of the
Divine Names become manifest.”

▪︎ Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam

This is why the soul survives bodily death. Death, in Shaykh Ibn Arabī’s understanding,
is not annihilation but transition the soul withdrawing from the coarse physical body
into a subtler imaginal mode of existence.

▪︎ He explains:

“When the human being dies, he does not enter into absolute nonexistence. Rather, he passes from one abode to another, and appears in forms corresponding to his deeds and states.”

▪︎  Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, Chapter on the Barzakh

The experiences of the grave, heavenly gardens, constriction, lights, and terrifying visions are therefore real, but real according
to the laws of the imaginal world rather than earthly physics. The Barzakh mirrors the inward reality of the soul.

▪︎ Shaykh Ibn Arabī states:

“Every soul is resurrected in accordance with the form of its belief and the realities acquired during earthly life.”

▪︎ Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, IV: 483

The soul encounters its own truths objectified in symbolic form. This doctrine also explains dreams.

During sleep, the soul partially disengages from bodily constraints and enters the imaginal realm. Dreams are therefore not meaningless fantasies, but disclosures from the unseen clothed in symbolic imagery.

▪︎ Shaykh Ibn Arabī writes:

“Sleep is the brother of death, and the dream world is the first unveiling of the world of the unseen.”

▪︎ Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, I: 304

Hence the famous wisdom often quoted by
the Sufis:

“People are asleep, and when they die they awaken.”

The worldly life itself resembles a dream when compared to the unveiled realities perceived after death.

Central to all of this is Shaykh Ibn Arabī’s understanding of khayāl (imagination).

Modern thought often treats imagination as fantasy or unreality, but Shaykh Ibn Arabī sees imagination as a divine faculty and ontological reality through which the unseen becomes manifest.

▪︎ He writes:

“Imagination is neither nonexistent nor existent absolutely; it is the meeting place of the two realities.”

▪︎  Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, III: 9

▪︎ And elsewhere:

“Allāh made the world of imagination as a mirror in which meanings are seen clothed in sensory forms.”

▪︎ Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, III: 275

Thus the cosmos itself becomes a grand barzakh. Creation is neither absolute being
nor pure nothingness; it is the imaginal self-disclosure (tajallī) of Almighty Allah.

Existence is symbolic, transparent, and revelatory for the one whose inner sight has awakened.

▪︎ Among Shaykh Ibn Arabi’s most famous statements is:

“Know that you are imagination, and all that you perceive and of which you say, ‘This is not imagination,’ is imagination. For all existence
is imagination within imagination.”

▪︎ Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah, III: 142

▪︎ And likewise:

“The whole cosmos is imagination, and it is truth in imagination. The one who understands this has attained the secrets of the Path.”

▪︎ Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam, chapter of Ishāq (Isaac)

These statements do not mean the world is unreal in the nihilistic sense. Rather, the world is real as symbol, real as manifestation, real as divine disclosure.

Just as a dream possesses meaning while not existing materially, so too creation is an imaginal unveiling of deeper realities.

Thus the spiritual traveler (sālik) seeks purification of the soul so that the Barzakh
may be consciously perceived before death.

The gnostic (ʿārif) begins to witness meanings within forms and divine signs within creation itself.Shaykh Ibn Arabī finally summarizes the mystery of existence and death in these words:

“The cosmos is all imagination, yet it is true imagination. Death awakens you from the dream of sensory existence.”

▪︎  Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah

In this vision, the Barzakh is not merely the realm entered after death it is the hidden architecture of existence itself.

The soul does not simply travel through the Barzakh; rather, it gradually awakens to the realization that its entire existence has always unfolded within this mysterious intermediary realm between contingency and the Eternal Real (al-Ḥaqq).

And Almighty Allāh knows best.

■ Teachings Of The Heart.

🛡️ Protection From the Evil Eye Is Real 🛡️

The Prophet ﷺ saw a young girl with marks/discoloration on her face and said:

“She has been affected by the evil eye, so perform ruqyah for her.”

📚 Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim

✨ Reflection:

Not every harm is physical…

Some harm can come through envy, jealousy, and the evil eye — which Islam teaches us is real.

But Allah did not leave believers without protection.

He taught us to turn to Him through:

🤍 Ruqyah
🤍 Du‘a
🤍 Dhikr
🤍 Seeking Allah’s protection

This reminder teaches us not to fear people more than Allah…

Because the One who protects is greater than anything that can harm.

A believer does not live in fear…

They live in trust, using the protection Allah has given.

💭 When Allah protects you, no evil eye, envy, or hidden harm can overcome you.

WEARING OF AMULET (Taweez or Ta’wiz)
.
The definition of a ta’wiz is simply a written du’a from the Qur’an or ahadith, and is for the one who cannot read or has not memorized that particular du’a. It is written on a piece of paper and is worn around the neck.
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We, that follow the sunnah I.e (tijaniyyah), believe that to wear a ta’wiz around the neck is permissible if the du’a’ contained in it is written from the Qur’an or ahadith. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) used to recite du’a’ and then blow onto the sick person.
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The Companions of the Prophet (Rodiyallahu anhum) also did this and they wrote the du’a’ on a piece of paper and placed it around the neck of a person if they could not read it.
Of course, the du’a’s from the Qur’an and ahadith have the power to heal the sick. Some people say that if you wear the ta’wiz you are commiting shirk, but we shall prove, with the help of Allah, that it is permissible to wear a ta’wiz.
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The Qur’an Has the Power of Healing
As Allah the Most High says in the Qur’an:
“…We send down in Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers…”
[Sura Banu Isra’il, verse 82]
Al-Qadi Shaukani writes, “If the Qur’an’s du’a’s are recited and blown on the sick, they will be cured. When the non-believers recite the Qur’an, their blasphemic disease will be cured” [Tafsir Fath al-Qadir, under Sura Bani Isra’il, verse 82]
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Proof of Wearing the ta’wiz
Ibn Kathir and Shaukani write:
“Amr ibn Shu’aib (Rodiyallahu anhum) said that ‘Rasulullah(Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) taught my father and grandfather a du’a which we would read before going to sleep, to protect us from fear and anguish.We told our elder children to recite this du’a before going to sleep as well.But for those children who were not yet literate, we would write it and then put it around their necks”
[Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal vol.2; Abu Dawud, in ‘Chapter of Medicine’; Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under Sura al-Mu’minun, verse 97; and Shaukani, Fath al-Qadir, under the same verse]
.
Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim write:
“When a person who was sick or in some distress they would go to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) who would then place his hand on the area of pain and recite a du’a’ and then blow onto him”
[Bukhari; Muslim, Chapter of Tibb]
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Imam Muslim writes:
“When the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was ill for the last time, Angel Jibril (alaihi Salam) came and recited du’a’ and blew on to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam)”
[Muslim, Chapter of Tibb]
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Look at the view of. one Wahabi scholar on this matter
Ibn Taymiyya writes:
“It is permissible to [to recite du’a’s and then] blow upon the sick in Islam, but the words must be from the Qur’an or ahadith. If the words are not, then it is not permissible”
[Ibn Taymiyya, At-Tawassul, Chapter on Blowing onto the Sick]
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From the paspectives of fuqaha:
“According to Imam Malik ‘It is permitted to put around the neck the ta’wiz written with the name of Allah.’ One imam from ahlil bayt, Imam Baqir also stated that it is permitted to put such a ta’wiz around the neck of a child”
[Ruh al-Mani, chapter 15, under Sura al-Mu’minun, verse 97].
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Ash- Shami al-Hanafi writes:
“It is permitted to write a ta’wiz and put it around the neck… It would be better if a person recites the du’as taught by the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam). But if a person cannot read or is too young to recite then it is permitted for that person to put it around the neck”
[Rad al-Mukhtar, chapter on ‘Qira’at’; Sa’idi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, Chapter on Tibb]
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Ibn Taymiyya (RTA) writes in his Fatawa:
“It is permissible for an ill or troubled person, that certain verses from the Qur’an are written with pure ink, then it is washed and given to the ill to drink. Ibn Abbas (Rodiyallahu anhu) is reported to have mentioned a certain Dua that should be written and placed close to the woman who is experiencing hard labour at the time of giving birth.
Sayyiduna Ali (Karramallahu waj’hah) says: This Dua should be written and tied to the arm of the woman. We have experienced that there is nothing more amazing than this” (Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya, 19/65).
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Ibn Taymiyya’s student Imam Ibn Qayyim also narrates the permissibility of using Ta’wiz from a number of salafs including the great Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Rodiyallahu anhu). Thereafter Ibn Qayyim himself quotes various Ta’wizes (Zad al-Ma’ad, 3/180).
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In view of the foregoing, it becomes clear that generally using of Ta’wiz is not something that is impermissible or Shirk. However, it is necessary that the above mentioned conditions are met.
Today we have people who  just converted to Islam without proper Islamic background, who declare all types of Ta’wizes to be Shirk and Kufr. Others, on the other hand, think Ta’wizes to be everything. Both these types of understandings are incorrect.
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Using of Ta’wizes is permissible, but with moderation.
Normally it is better to recite the Duas which are prescribed for every problem and illness, and along with that resort to medical treatment. However, if Ta’wizes are used sometimes, then it is permissible.
By; Abdulmujib Attijjeniy Usman  

May Allah give us the undertanding of this path.
Ameen

There’s this amazing story of a companion. His name is Abu Dahdah رضي الله عنه, this beautiful, beautiful man who lived with the Prophet ﷺ.

He owned one of the most amazing gardens in Madinah.

If you were to ask anyone in Madinah, “Who has the greatest orchard? Who has the greatest palm gardens?” they would say:

“Abu Dahdah.”

One day, a young orphan came to the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ.

He came complaining, and the Prophet ﷺ immediately empathized with him because he was an orphan.

This young boy’s father had recently passed away, and suddenly the responsibility of looking after the entire family fell upon his shoulders.

Now in the desert of Arabia, if you did not keep your animals fenced properly and protected, they would wander off into the desert and die.

So this young orphan went to his neighbor and said:

“I want to build a fence between my land and your land so my animals don’t run away. But there is one tree standing exactly on the boundary between our properties. I need you to either give me that tree or sell it to me so I can cut it down and continue the fence.”

But the man refused.

And technically, he had the right to refuse because it was his tree.

The young boy kept asking him again and again for weeks.

But every single time, the man said:

“No.”

Finally, the orphan came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:

“O Messenger of Allah, my father has died. I’m trying to take care of my family. I’m overwhelmed. I’m exhausted. And I’m only asking this man for one tree so I can protect our animals. Please speak to him on my behalf.”

The Prophet ﷺ called the man and sat him beside him with honor and dignity.

He did not humiliate him.

Then the Prophet ﷺ gently asked him:

“Will you give him the tree out of generosity?”

The man replied:

“No.”

The Prophet ﷺ asked:

“Will you sell it to him?”

Again he replied:

“No.”

In fact, his arrogance became even stronger because the complaint had reached the Prophet ﷺ.

He thought:

“How dare this little orphan bring my issue before Muhammad ﷺ? Now I will never give it to him.”

So the Prophet ﷺ said to him:

“If you give this tree away, I guarantee you a tree in Jannah.”

Imagine that.

One tree in dunya for a tree in paradise.

But the man still said:

“No.”

Sometimes the heart becomes so hard that even Jannah no longer moves it.

Now Abu Dahdah رضي الله عنه was sitting in the masjid listening to all of this.

He was not involved in the situation at all.

But the moment he heard the Prophet ﷺ promise a tree in Jannah, he immediately ran after the man.

And he said:

“Will you sell me that tree?”

The man said:

“Yes.”

Abu Dahdah then said:

“I will give you my entire garden in exchange for that one tree.”

The man became shocked.

“Are you serious? Your whole orchard for one tree?”

Abu Dahdah replied:

“Yes.”

The man accepted immediately.

Afterward, Abu Dahdah رضي الله عنه went back to the Prophet ﷺ and said:

“O Messenger of Allah, I have bought that tree and I give it to the orphan. Will I still get the tree in Jannah?”

The Prophet ﷺ smiled and said:

“How plentiful are the sweet date clusters that Abu Ad-Dahdah has in Paradise!)” In another narration, the Prophet said,  How many a date tree that has lowered down its clusters, which are full of pearls and gems in Paradise for Abu Ad-Dahdah!

Then Abu Dahdah رضي الله عنه went home to his wife.

He stood outside the garden and called her:

“O Umm Dahdah! Come out! We have sold this garden to Allah!”

And without hesitation she replied:

“What a profitable transaction!”

Then she gathered her children and even shook the dates from their hands because the garden no longer belonged to them.

This was the level of iman they had.

The way they treated an orphan…

The way they rushed toward Jannah…

The way they trusted Allah سبحانه وتعالى…

And this is why Allah reminded the Prophet ﷺ in the Qur’an:

“Did He not find you as an orphan then sheltered you?”

And then Allah says:

“So do not oppress the orphan,”

Because the Prophet ﷺ himself knew what it felt like to be vulnerable, alone, and in need of kindness.

And Abu Dahdah رضي الله عنه understood that lesson perfectly.